DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO CHECK IF A IRON SQUARE IS TRULY SQUARE?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Fine Homebuilding is excited to be the official media partner of the 2024 Building Science Symposium series! This event offers builders, tradesmen, architects, designers and suppliers to discuss topics ranging…
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
First thing is to stop shouting. (All caps is considered shouting.)
.
Next, draw a long horizontal straight line, with a straightedge.
Now hold your square up to the line, and draw a vertical line with the square.
Now flip your square over so the same edge is on the horizontal line, but is pointed the opposite direction.
Slide it over to the vertical line you made, and see if the vertical line, and the vertical leg of your square line up.
When it rains, it snows.
I see ya beat me to it..forum is runnng slow again , here at least.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
IF YOU MEAN A SQUARE MADE FROM STEEL...
YUP...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Make a line from known strait edge and flip the sq. and check it against the line..after you turn the caps lock off your computer.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
line the sq up like this against other ones
I was getting all fired up to argue with you until I opened that picture. hahaha
The thick ones make good weapons.
That aussy fellow was talking about making a square that would be able to boomerang on you.
Peach full,easy feelin'.
looks good.....that"s funny
For years every time i went to a garage sale they had squares for 25 cents or so , so i just started buying them up for no known reason that i can come up with, I have about 20. A lot of people said they were there grandfathers, There all rusty here on the coast though but all pretty much square still
Sounds like you could have your own little garage sale and square up.
I need all those squares now to do my Taxes with.
The tax table on the square is the one on the obverse and blade side correct? I always wondered how to use that table, seems when I try to It always costs me.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
You have to use the older squares made before the tax code came out, this messes up a lot of carpenters and they wind up owing, Frankly im suprized you did not know this.;}
Clean off the rust and rub some white paint into the marks, let dry a bit then wipe off the excess. My have to use a little thinner.
http://www.homediscussion.com/showthread.php?t=81547
The proper way to check if a square is truly square is to check it against a sheet of ply. Factory Cut edges at perfectly square. I believe it can be bent into square with a few hits of a hammer on a nail set, but you would have to research that more to find out the specifics.
I think a lot of people might disagree. I sure would not trust factory square edges on ply. I am a lttle skeptical of even one edge being "perfect". I feel better using a known good straight edge, then marking a line with either a very fine pencil or knife then flipping the square over and comparing.
believe it can be bent into square with a few hits of a hammer on a nail set
If the square is <90°, drive a center punch near the inside of the corner.
If the square is >90°, drive a center punch near the outside of the corner.
This will not work with an aluminum square.
Riversong HouseWright
Design * * Build * * Renovate * * ConsultSolar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes
"" Factory Cut edges at perfectly square."" I would beg to differ. I have more than once seen ply sheets an 1/8-1/4" out of square with d.f cdx. Flipping the square from one face to the other along an established base line and checking itself to itself is the manner that is known to work. The exact same principle works for checking levels.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
>The exact same principle works for checking levels.<
even adjusting with a hammer?
Hmm, I didn't think I was the one who mentioned the hammer adjustments. I did however permanently adjust a level by use of a hammer once. Might even have been able to use it a square after I finished.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Factory Cut edges at perfectly square
Not in Idaho they aren't! *chuckle*
We always check ply, mdf or osb. Maybe it's just our bad luck, but we'll get a dozen sheets a year that are off enough to be a pain in the buttt (1/8" in 4')
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
I once got two bunks that were off that much and more. Started sheathing the roof on a large house and was like WTF? Started checking and found the problem, sure slowed that job down. Yard did make it good with $ afterwards though.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
I saw a TV show that talked about how osb is made and showed the cut off saw: cuts the sheet while it's moving at 60 mph. The saw was on a diagnal track so as it went through the sheet it was make a 90 degree cut, but it's not hard to see how a track could get worn and slowly more complaints are coming in about 90 degree corners being off.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
3-4-5 method
Take your tape out and measure from the 5 to the 12 and it should read 13.
Or.
3-4-5
6-8-10
9-12-15
12-16-20